Starting device.



UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EENEsT N. warm, or BAXTEB SPRINGS, KANSAS, assrenon or onE-H'ALE To'aAY' E.

RIPLEY, or J'OPLIN, mrssounr. L 3' STARTING DEVICE. is;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application, filed January 5, 1911.

Patented Sept; 2c, 191T; Serial No. 6OQ,895,.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST N. \VARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baxter Springs, in the county of Cherokee and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Starting Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and more especially to the mechanical starting devices therefor; and the object of the same is to produce a device of this character by which an automobile can be cranked by the operator while sitting 'in his seat.

To this end, the invention consists in the v construction hereinafter more fully .de-

scribed and claimed, and is shown in the drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of an automobile with part of its hood broken away, showing Flg. 2 is an enlarged central vertical section through the starting device alone. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 o,f.Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a partialfront elevation of the starting device;

,now constructed it is necessary In the drawings, the letter A designates broadly an automobile equipped with a gas engine whose crank shaft S extends forward within its hood H, and as these en ines are to crank the engine in order to start it. This is accomplished by the operator who must descend from his seat and go around in front 'of the machine and turn a hand crank, and

then resume his seat. The object of the present invention is to permit him to crank the engine without leaving his seat, and this is accomplished. by the detailed construction which I will now .describe.

Secured upon the main shaft S is, a wheel 5 having ratchet teeth 6 around its periphery, the whole standing within a drum consisting of a cup-shaped body 9 havin an opening 8 through the center of its hot cm, and a plate 10 secured as by screws 11 over the mouth of said cup and having a larger hole 80 through its center and within -Wl110l1 the hub 50 of the wheel 5 may rotate, there preferably being a dust-proof washer between said hub 50 and a flange 85 formed around said hole 80. This drum by preference stands within the hood H ofthe automobile'and forward of the front end of the improved starting device in position.

main shaft S upon which said wheel 5 is secured as by screws or otherwise.

The numeral 20 designates a cable wound around the drum, extending thence overia pulley 22, and leading backward to-fiiani'pu lating means broadly designated by the numeral 15 but herein shown as'consistingfof a lever pivoted at 16 within the framework of the automobile and connected at 17 with the cable 13.

The numeral 130 designates strong coiled or spiral spring preferably standing against the front end of the drum asshown and. secured at one end by a screw or bolt 131 thereto, and the other end of this springis secured to some fixed part so that the whole shall constitute what we may call the retracting device. Thus it will be seen that when the manipulating means is operatedby the driver the drum is turned aga nst the tension.

of the retracting means, and when the .drivers pressure is removed 'the retracting means restores the drum to its original position'. 1

On a suitable pivot withinthe wall of the drum (and it may be the screw or bolt 131 just referred to) is mounted a awl 40 whose tip is adapted to engage t e teeth 6 of the wheel 5, and 41 is a spring secured within the drum and bearing said tip normally into engagement therewith. This pawl is quite wide at its tip as best seen at 42 in Fig. 2, and this edge thereof which projects beyond or in front of,the wheel 5 is adapted to make contact with the tip of a finger 44 which rises fixedly from the inner end of a fixed bracket 45 which is here shown as the enlarged and smooth art of a bolt that extends through the ho e 8. in

cam standing under the free end of the pawl,

and its obvious purpose 1s to disengage the a pawl from the ratchet wheel at a proper moment. Thus when the operator moves the manipulating means he rotates the drum and gives a partial rotation to the main the teeth 6.

shaft S, and on the return movement of the drum the pawl rides over the cam and lifts the tip of thepawl out of engagement with The fact that the latter are ratchet teeth instead of ordinary teeth permits the shaft 'to rotate faster than the drum in case the engine shouldstart quickly. As soon as the operator removes his foot from the pedal or otherwise releases tension upon the operating means, the retracting means restores the parts to their normal-positions as will be understood. In case of back-fire, the reversely turning ratchet wheel would carry the pawl and drum with it only far enough to cause'the tip of the pawl to strike the cam and disengage it from the ratchet teeth, and hence the operator would not be injured. It is not necessary to go into a more detailed description of the manner in :which these starting devices are employed.

What is claimed as new is In a startingdevice for automobile gas engines, the combination with a ratchet wheel having a hub fixed to the end of the engine shaft; of a drum surrounding said wheel and loosely embracing its hub and having ahole in line with said shaft, a wide pawl pivoted within said drum, a spring pressing it normallyinto engagement with said ratchet, manipulating means for directing the rotation of the drum in. one direction, retracting means for normally rotating it in the other direction, a bracket secured to the automobile framework and projecting fixedly and axially through said hole in the drum, and a finger rising rigidly from said bracket within the drum between the latter and said wheel and its tip constituting a cam upon which the pawlrides as the drum returns to its retracted position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixe'd my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST N. WARD.

WVitnesses l W. W. WYATr, Gr; W. EARNSHAW. 

